SALEM – Two bills considered
dead or sidelined have popped back up at the Oregon Legislature.

One would establish a new
lottery game with the profits targeted for programs that help war veterans. The
other would establish a task force to recommend changes to state liquor sales.

Both bills came up at a late-afternoon meeting of the Capital Construction Subcommittee, one of the few committees still
active in the waning days of the session. It meets at 4 p.m.

When last seen, House Bill
4023 had been changed from a bill to give veterans extra services to one that
would give vets discounts on medical marijuana – a process known at the Capitol
as gut-and-stuff.

The sponsor, Rep. Julie
Parrish, complained publicly about the bill's treatment, and now it's back on
the agenda – although even Parrish isn't sure of how the new version works. The bill also designates a portion of Highway 26 as a memorial to veterans from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

Now both bills are back under
consideration, with only a handful of days left in the session.

UPDATE: The lottery-for-vets bill was moved to the full Joint Ways and Means Committee; the liquor bill was held over a day after a disagreement over when the task force should report back to the Legislature.